One Autumn Morning
by Praetor
Summary: Oneshot, RikuxSora. Just a simple autumn morning for Riku and Sora, before they enter their last year of school, enjoying the companionship the other brings.


One Autumn Morning

Sora was ecstatic. Today was the first day of school! He excitedly felt at the straps of his backpack, running his fingers nervously over them. He was entering his senior year. His absolute **final** year of school. After this day there was no turning back, he would be in the cycle until it took him to graduation day, which, though months from now, loomed like never before. Still, one year to go…  
He finally arrived at his bus stop, at the corner of his block. He looked around at the familiar scene. A beautiful wooden bench sat facing the intersecting road, and a tree bloomed marvelously next to it. It was autumn, and the tree showed this fact proudly by displaying various vibrant autumn tones, the light yellows, bright oranges and deep, satisfying reds. Ah yes, autumn. It was one of Sora's favorite times of the year. Though things were on their way to death, it seemed to Sora like a new beginning. Maybe because of school. Or maybe it was because his birthday also took place at that time, and he would be another year older.

Or maybe it was because of a _certain_ silver-haired friend. Sora took a seat, smiled contently, and speak of the devil…

"Sora!" A familiar call. Sora looked to his left and sure enough walking up the pavement was none other than Riku, Sora's **best** friend. Sora let out a grin to match Riku's own as Riku himself took a seat next to the spiky haired brunette. They had just seen each other the night prior, making plans for the next day and just enjoying one anothers company, but this meeting felt like it had been put off for far too long.

"Riku!" Sora happily replied, his blue eyes full of happiness. Riku returned the gaze, his sea-green eyes taking note of said happiness and feeling no less ecstatic. Sora was Riku's favorite person. They had known each other since forever, and lived only a few houses away. The memories they shared together were countless, but every autumn seemed to bring the best. The feeling of walking together under the color-filled trees, of imaginary places they would invent between themselves to pass the time, of walking through old bookshops and going for coffee later, staring out over a bridge as traffic passed behind them, of their dreams and of their fears…it all was reaffirmed in autumn, somehow. And now they were off to school, to enter their final year together and then be off into who knows what…but Riku felt that, no matter what, nothing could break his bond with Sora.

If only Sora knew how deep that bond went…

Meanwhile Sora thought of his day at school being reunited with his friends on a daily basis. He could see them all in his mind already: Kairi with her cheerful smile, Tidus and Wakka with their crazy antics, and Selphie with her various schemes…ah, good old Selphie.

Sora himself fit in as the optimistic one, always one to put things in a bright note. It was just his way. And Riku…the cleverest of them all, but with good style all the while. They were a happy family, and Sora wouldn't trade them for the world. And he knew they felt the same way.

And then suddenly, the bus turned around the corner, and began its haul down to their corner. Both stood up and stretched out, and Riku turned and looked at Sora. Sora returned the gaze.

In that moment, though he couldn't put it words and would not think about it until much later in the day, he was glad that right now, right here, he was with Riku above anyone else.

The bus arrived and opened their doors and Riku mock bowed and lifted his arm to the door, allowing Sora to go ahead. Sora laughed and they grinned at one another as they climbed onto the bus, filled full with varied degrees of sleep-deprived students.

Though Sora's mind was off out the window, Riku dwelt on the moment they had just shared. He **knew** then, for **sure** that above all else, Sora and he had a bond that could never break. He took a long look out the window as the bus began to pull away, and he saw the bright blue sky...the sky that so much reminded him of Sora, free and full of something that could surely make him fly. Sora turned back and smiled in only the way that Sora could and Riku just sat back and put his arm around Sora's shoulders with a grin.

It was, after all, one beautiful autumn morning.


End file.
